A great wine begins in your head

Enjoying a great wine is a unique pleasure, both sensually and intellectually. The aromatic and textural sensations in a bottle of wine capture a whole cosmos, from the change of seasons to the distinctive terroir of a vineyard, the passion of the winemaker, and the distinctive stamp of the vintage. Wine is a historical record of the regional and cultural information collected in the grapes at a particular point in time, delivered directly to your glass. To achieve this marvel of humans working with nature, all of the great winemakers I have met started with a clear vision of what their wines should express before the first grape is picked. For them, individual terroir triumphs over technology. And quality always comes before quantity. Great wines grow from great passion and dedication, and from clear convictions that are realized without compromise.

We are committed to these principles at our two wineries, Dr. Loosen in the Mosel Valley and Villa Wolf in the Pfalz. We want to produce wines that are seductively enjoyable, concentrated and complex and that reflect their origins in an unmistakable way.

When I drink a wine from a Grosse Lage (grand cru) site, such as Wehlener Sonnenuhr, I want to smell the blue slate that nourished the grapes and taste the depth of the old vines. I want to experience the special character of a vintage and enjoy it as it evolves over many years. That ability to transmit a visceral connection to a people, place and time is what sets wine apart from any other beverage.

A great wine begins in your head, but the true measure of any wine is where it ends – in your glass. I hope you enjoy drinking our wines as much as we enjoy making them.

ERNST LOOSEN